Most agree that the drug issue, while multifaceted, is at the core a family one.
By Nora Fleming / Special to The Malibu Times
In response to issues and questions surrounding how much of an issue drug use is and how well it’s being addressed at Malibu High School, the school’s PTSA hosted a meeting last week with a panel of experts who spoke on what could be done by a variety of stakeholders and fielded questions from parents at the school last Thursday.
“We all care about kids and want to see them make healthy choices and lead constructive lives, but the idea that it’s a problem that is solved is an incorrect framework,” said MHS Principal Mark Kelly said in a follow up interview with The Malibu Times.
“Every year you get a new batch of teenagers who are dealing with these issues and you want to be as proactive and engaged and mindful of the issues as possible, while working together as a school and community,” the principal said.
In the past month, The Malibu Times ran a series of articles initiated after a letter was sent to the paper written by Sandy and Harriet Helberg, parents of a student at Malibu High School, who were concerned about what they believed to be a significant drug problem at the school that wasn’t being properly mitigated by school administrators. Sources estimated roughly 150 parents were at the meeting last week to air their concerns and affirm support of the school and its drug protocol and support services.
School district Assistant Superintendent Mike Matthews, who was a principal at Malibu High School, also attended the meeting. He said he was pleased with the actions taken by Malibu High School to address community concerns about drugs.
“There are certainly drug issues at every school, and both the school and the parents play a central part in the rehabilitation process,” Matthews said. “But I think the point that was stated and restated was that awareness was being raised about the issue and it wasn’t because someone died, it was because the community cares about what they can do about the problem.”
Matthews said the SMMUSD Board of Education is currently looking into the district’s health education program, which changed from a one-semester health class on drug and sex education taught by a credentialed health instructor to a full-year freshman seminar class with school faculty on a variety of topics, including health education.
“The board will look into the subject more on the best way to deliver the curriculum, and whether changing the title and licensing of teachers has altered what is being delivered to students,” Matthews said in regard to how the school district could increase awareness about the danger of drugs to students early on.
Currently, students at Malibu High School participate in the STAR program and Project Alert in sixth, seventh and eighth grades, in addition to the freshman seminar.
But, according to a few panelists interviewed after the meeting, the drug issue, while multifaceted, is at the core a family one; however, there are resources in place to support families and their children, particularly focused around the school.
“It’s not my belief that the school is ultimately responsible,” said Susan Stiffelman, a Malibu based family therapist who participated in last week’s panel. “The parents must take on responsibility to address the issue with their children and remain a presence in their child’s life.
“The school does have a stringent policy and are responsive when they hear about something and act on it appropriately,” she continued, “but parents need to be involved with their children and ask for help if they need it.”
Stiffelman stressed the importance of parents playing a supportive role in their children’s lives that could curb potential drug/alcohol abuses, particularly in examining the source that might prompt a child to abuse substances, rather than punishing the behavior. She added that she didn’t think the drug issues at Malibu were different than at any other high school.
Councilmember Andy Stern, who served on the panel, agreed.
“What came out of the evening is there is help for students and the school is very sensitive to any drugs on campus. [But] all of this starts at home. Schools won’t help if the students aren’t getting support at home,” Stern said.
In response to Malibu’s lack of infrastructure and activities for teens as a source of the problem, Stern said, “I do think Malibu is a boring place for teenagers, but it’s always been like this. There’s a Malibu way of life and people moved here for a certain lifestyle. If you don’t want that lifestyle, move someplace else, like Westlake or Calabasas. Malibu is no different than any other community [in terms of a drug problem].”
Kasey Earnest, chief professional office for the Malibu Boys and Girls Club, said parents at the meeting seemed concerned on how to stay involved in their children’s lives and communicate with them, as well as communicate with other parents. Earnest said The Club is hosting a community summit at the end of April to address many of these issues for parents and provide practical solutions to implement in the home.
“Everything we do here is based around keeping kids safe and providing alternatives to drugs and alcohol,” Earnest said of the club’s programs.
Currently, the Malibu Foundation for Youth and Families, which supports the Boys and Girls Club, is looking for property to build a teen center for high school students.
“But what I really think is it needs to start in the home. Parents should be the individuals searching their children’s backpacks not the schools,” Earnest said.
Principal Kelly gave a presentation to the parents at last Thursday’s meeting on district policy and how students are informed of rules and regulations. He also discussed the counseling services in place, which are required if a student is caught with drugs, and talked about Angels at Risk, a weekly support group for parents and children that meets both in Malibu and Santa Monica.
If a student at the high school is caught with illegal substances, law enforcement is immediately called to the school, said Sheriff’s Sgt. Eric Lasico, who also attended the meeting. The school suspends the student for five days and mandates 40 hours of community service and 24 hours of counseling, half of which are with parents.
These consequences are in addition to the separate actions taken from a legal standpoint, specifically a citation and court appearance. Depending on the substance, students can face infractions, misdemeanor or felony charges, Lasico said.
Lasico said he also discussed Agoura Hills’ social host ordinance at the meeting, which allows law enforcement to break up house parties without having a neighbor/caller make a citizen’s arrest or go on record telling enforcement about the party. Lasico said the Agoura Hill’s ordinance has made it so people are more willing to notify the Sheriff’s station if they know anything about parties where minors may be abusing drugs or alcohol.
Large, unsupervised parties had been cited by parents in the past as a place where substance abuse frequently occurs with Malibu youth.
The city of Malibu may look into passing a similar ordinance.
Dr. Stiffelman will be hosting a free session for parents at Malibu High School on Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. to field questions and suggest advice for parents on how to handle the topic of drugs and alcohol with their children.